Scientists make virus discovery

Scientists from universities in Edinburgh and Cambridge have gained new knowledge into how viruses such as flu and HIV jump between species.

Researchers had wanted to understand how viruses such as bird flu infect distant species like humans and found that they were better able to infect species closely related to their typical target species than species that were distantly related. Their research could now help predict the appearance of new diseases. The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society.

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